Today, Fisker Automotive is ready to provide a few more interesting tidbits on the Karma. First off, the company released a single image today of the production sedan from a rear 3/4 view. The vehicle is just as sexy as it appeared in concept form. According to Motor Authority, only slight changes were made to make the production Karma compliant with federal regulations.

We also now know more details on the powertrain for the Karma hybrid sedan. The Karma will use a turbocharged General Motors Ecotec four-cylinder engine which develops 260 HP. This will be paired with a "Q-Drive" hybrid system which features two electric motors and a lithium-ion battery pack. The Karma will also have enough battery storage onboard to power the vehicle 50 miles on battery power alone. Total power of the Ecotec engine combined with the two electric motors will be an impressive 408 HP.

Pricing for the Fisker Karma is set at $87,900 for the base model. According to Fisker, the first deliveries of the sedan will take place in November of next year.

The sleek styling and the powertrain of the Fisker Karma makes the Chevrolet Volt look rather plain in comparison. However, the Karma's price tag is more than twice the expected price of GM's shining beacon of light.

Updated 11/4/2008
Fisker Motors released a second image of the production Karma, this time from the front 3/4 view (see image on the bottom right).

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This article is over a month old, voting and posting comments is disabled

quote: 340 lb ft it may be but at what revs. I bet it's only the top around perhaps 6000 rpm or so.

Nope. Redline on that engine is 6300 rpm and the power/torque trails off dramatically at 5800 rpm (out of the turbo's effciency range). The stock motor hits max torque at 1750 rpm and trails off after 5300 rpm. Same with the power upgrade as it uses the stock turbo too. The stock head flow is only mediocre that's why it makes so much torque.

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